Flooding associated with the monsoons causes serious problems in relation to transportation. Rural unsurfaced roads become unusable during the wet summer months, while flooding of railway lines interferes with train schedules. Heavy rains can also trigger landslides, which cover roads and make them impassable (Figs 22.28, 22.9.
Rajasthan’s desert climate means it cannot support many people, and as such it has a low population density. Because of this, the railway network is poorly developed and attracts little investment from the government.
Fig. 22.28 Monsoon flooding in Mumbai.
Fig. 22.29 A landslide triggered by monsoon rains.
Socio-economic factors
Suburban commuter transport systems allow people to access the commercial centres of Indian cities.
A-Z
Informal economy: Also known as the black economy, it refers to people who are not registered and so pay no tax on earnings, e.g. street hawkers, shoe shiners.
Employing over 1.5 million people, the Indian rail network is an essential component of the economic and social infrastructure of the country. Indian railway stations are economic ecosystems that support railroad employees and a vast range of activities associated with the informal economy. Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are served by metro systems (Fig. 22.30). Mumbai’s suburban railway system caters for over seven million passengers daily, but the large number of passengers leads to overcrowding.
